Scientologist convicted of fraud in Russia's far east

Associated Foreign Press - Moscow/June 27, 2001

A court in Russia's far eastern city of Khabarovsk Wednesday handed a
local
Scientology leader a six year suspended sentence for money laundering
and
setting up an illegal business, ITAR-TASS reported.

In the course of a year-long investigation launched against Olga
Ukhova,
prosecutors also accused the Dianetics center of inflicting
psychological,
physical and financial harm to its adherents, court officials said.
Scientology, founded by the science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and
based
in Los Angeles, is recognized as a religion in the United States.

The Church of Scientology was officially set up in Russia in 1993 and
claims
30,000 followers in the country. Since 1998, Russian prosecutors have
sought
to prove that its activities were illegal, but Moscow courts have
twice
dismissed cases against the church.

Scientology is considered a sect in some western countries, including
France, Germany and Greece, where authorities contend that its
leaders
seek
economic gain and use "quasi-totalitarian" methods to keep supporters
in
line.

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